1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electrical installer hand tool system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electrical installer hand tool having an activated electrical testing device for testing electrical circuits, wires and the like during use of the hand tool.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of electrical circuit testers is known in the prior art. More specifically, electrical testers heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of specific requirements. Hand-held electrical testing probes or devices are known in the art for detecting the presence of AC signal potential on a conductor and typically have extending wires with clips or contact probes. The probes are either of a contacting type which requires direct electrical contact with an un-insulated portion of the conductor (electrical wire), or of a non-contacting type which senses the resulting electromagnetic field when placed in proximity to the conductor. There is a safety risk associated with the contacting type probe due to the possibility that the user may receive a harmful electrical shock, so that the non-contacting type probe is preferable.
Also, many types of testers or probes use a visual and/or audible indicator to annunciate the presence of a detected voltage to a user, as well as have manual on/off switches that allow a user to deactivate the probe when not in use. However, devices with switches present a number of disadvantages. If the switch is made of metal, it can act as a conduit to shock and injure the user if the switch comes in contact with a live wire or circuit. A user may forget to turn the switch on before using it, thereby risking a false negative reading, or a user may forget to turn it off causing the batteries to run down. A manual on/off switch can also break with repeated usage over an extended period of time.
Also known are switchless testers or probes that may be contacting or non-contacting. Such devices typically comprise non-conductive material, such as polyvinylchloride, to reduce the risk of electrical shock for a user, and it eliminates the use of a switch through the use of internal circuitry that automatically activates the probe when it senses an electrical current or voltage, thereby reducing the drain on the batteries. Such testers provide either a visual or audible indicator to alert the user to the presence of an electrical current or voltage.
Also known are hand held non-contact voltage testers of the type like pen-like pocket held and battery operated, and have a number of uses. Such devices are used to detect whether a voltage is present at the location or wire being probed. If there is a voltage present, the device either lights and/or an alarm sounds off, repeatedly or continuously for as long as the probe tip is held in the vicinity of the voltage, to signal the operator that a voltage is present. Knowing a voltage is present, the operator will exercise caution around the location or handling the wire, or will turn the voltage off, for example at a circuit breaker panel.
If a location or wire is probed and the device does not light up or sound off, the operator may assume there is no voltage present and may exercise less caution than if a voltage was indicated. In fact, there may be a voltage present, and the reason for the device not indicating the voltage is that the batteries are dead, or the light or sound indicating device are non-operational.
Also known from the conventional art are multiple driving hand tools, for example those of the applicant found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,400 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,080, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein fully by reference. While suitable for tool bit driving and other uses, their operation has been unitary to driving hand tool uses, requiring a user to release such a driving hand tool during, for example, electrical circuit installation, and reach for an entirely separate testing device, either before or after approaching an electrical circuit. This creates several detriments of time, convenience, electrical shock risk, and lose of multiple separate and expenses devices for a user.
While prior art devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, they do not disclose a new electrical circuit tester of the type disclosed herein which may conveniently be incorporated into a variety of hand tools typically used by electrical installers, particularly a driving hand tool. In these respects, the electrical circuit tester according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus developed for the purpose of allowing a user with a single, multi-purpose hand tool that can efficiently test electrical fixtures with a visual indicator, with improved safety, and enhanced convenience.